On July 26, 2016, a knife attack incident took place in Sagamihara City in Kanagawa Prefecture at a residential care facility for persons with disabilities operated by the prefecture. An intruder with a knife entered the facility and attacked sleeping residents, one after another. Within a day it was confirmed that the perpetrator, who killed 19 people and injured 26, was a former employee. Of all the murder cases that have happened in Japan since the end of World War II, this one involved the largest number of victims. Acquaintances say the attacker had been repeating misguided and prejudiced statements that were based on eugenic thinking, and the media reported that he continued to make such statements even after his arrest. The incident has spread waves of sadness and distress to many people. The chair of the Kyodanfs Committee on Social Concerns issued a statement on this incident, as translated below. (KNL Editorial Committee)

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Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

(Psalm 150:6)

Be fruitful and multiply… (Genesis 1:22)

All beings with life are born with God’s blessing, for it is within God’s blessing that all life is interconnected. Within the linkages between life and life, human beings can live. This is why we sing, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” A society that does not place life first will collapse. In a world where economy, not life, comes first, where life is disregarded, relationship is destroyed, human dignity is put at risk, and hatred and anger is spread to the world. Today the world is in the midst of such pain.

We have become completely accustomed to evaluating people according to scores, grades, and degrees of accomplishment. In this climate there is a danger that we will lose the ability to recognize life’s value. As human beings we are not in a position to decide who should be allowed to live and who should not.

The Bible teaches that every person is alive by the will of God, the Creator of all things in heaven and earth. If God chose to use God’s own abilities as the standard for judging us, none of us would be worthy of life before God. We are alive by God’s forgiveness and mercy. All people in this world are under God’s love, equally. People cannot be the judge of whether one lives or dies, including oneself.

God gives to each person a unique life. Within that unique life, everyone experiences times of joy, times of sadness, times of hardship. I believe God gives meaning to each of our lives.

In the very early hours of July 26, 2016, a multiple stabbing incident took place at Tsukui Yamayuri En, a welfare facility for persons with disabilities located in Sagamihara City in Kanagawa Prefecture. Within a day it was confirmed that 19 people had died, and a further 26 had suffered injuries of varying degrees.

The people who were attacked in this incident are victims of a society poisoned by an economy-first value system. It is a distressing incident that demands repentance from us, who have created such a society.

I pray from my heart for God’s deep comfort upon the people who suddenly lost a beloved family member and remain in deep sorrow and grief and also for God’s healing upon those who were injured.

One welfare caregiver who visited Tsukui Yamayuri En to lay flowers said, with teary eyes, “It’s regrettable that something so terrible happened at a facility with such a cheerful atmosphere. We interact with them not as ‘disabled,’ but as people.” This tragedy, which turned a cheerful facility into a picture of hell and produced many victims, has caused shock not just in Japan but also around the world.

Let us pray together for the families of victims, who are still in deep shock and pain, and for the staff and other persons associated with Tsukui Yamayuri En.

I hope that all people may come to know correctly the God of Jesus Christ so that through this, they may know that every person is in God’s love, learn to love and pray for one another, and aim toward an inclusive society in which all people encourage each other as we walk together. (Tr. DM)

There is still no one in the general secretary’s office. Following the resignation of former General Secretary Nagasaki Tetsuo at the end of his term, which coincided with the 40th (2016) Kyodan General Assembly, no one has been selected yet to fill the position. Moderator Ishibashi Hideo gave a formal apology to the assembly for being unable to select a replacement and then proposed that Executive Secretary of General Affairs Dohke Norikazu serve as acting general secretary. After various opinions were voiced, that resolution passed. In the two months since then, the general secretary’s office has quietly been awaiting its next occupant. When discussion of the situation arose at the recent Executive Council meeting, the first of the 40th Biennial General Assembly (GA) period, Moderator Ishibashi replied, “Not yet.” Therefore, unless a special Executive Council is called, the position will remain open until at least the next meeting of the council, scheduled for July.

Even though the position of general secretary remains unfilled, the everyday operations of the Kyodan headquarters, the Board of Publications, and the Board of Pensions continue. Of the various things that would be done by the general secretary, those that can be accomplished at the office level are first discussed in the joint meeting of the various secretaries. Important decisions are then passed on to the core leadership of the Kyodan (moderator, vice-moderator and secretary) for final resolution. This is particularly so in areas involving relationships with non-Kyodan entities both domestically and abroad. When it comes to the operations of the other two boards, the Board of Publications and the Board of Pensions, as executive secretary of general affairs, I (Dohke) work with each of their boards of directors by attending their meetings to insure their smooth operation. However, it is our hope that the next person to serve as general secretary will be found soon.

Of the items related to Kyodan operations decided at the first Executive Council meeting of this GA period, held Dec. 12-13, 2016, Chief Financial Officer Kera Yuji, who has served in this position for three terms (12 years), will be stepping down at the end of March 2017. He was instrumental in computerizing the finances of the Kyodan during a period of turmoil in the handling of finances. Thus, we are all very grateful to God for his faithful service. Momose Kazunari, a layman who has served for more than 30 years as an accountant in the Board of Publications, will be his successor and will begin his four-year term on April 1. We are thankful to have such an appropriate successor.

During this present GA period, there are a total of ten task force committees operating under the Executive Council. The “Task Force on the Future of the Kyodan,” which was established during the previous (39th) GA period, was replaced by a new one entitled the “Committee on Evangelism Strategy.” It, however, is not simply a committee designed to think about evangelistic strategies but one that considers these with structural and financial reforms in mind. As the average age of Kyodan membership increases due to the aging population, the overall strength of the church in terms of numbers and finances weakens. Thus, there is a need to consider how evangelistic outreach can be most efficiently accomplished within this present context. The work of the three boards that make up the Kyodan headquarters, the branch office in Osaka (the Buraku Liberation Center), and the various agencies, such as Christian centers, are critical to this task. The operations of the Kyodan offices are, of course, different from the business world, which focuses on profits. We are, after all, a faith community, and so the Kyodan offices operate within that context as we engage in and support evangelism. For instance, the staff of all three boards meets together each morning, with each person taking turns in leading the morning prayers and worship. It is so important to begin each workday with prayer and to end it with thanksgiving. (Tr. TB)